UIC Brand Refresh Update
Dear Colleagues,
The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public and Government Affairs has been working on a strategic marketing project for several months to lift the UIC brand, create impact and alignment and connect with our many constituents in a consistent, clear and compelling way.
Refining our brand and graphic identity is a key initiative of the university’s new strategic marketing and communications plan that rolled out last year. We know how identifiable our logo and primary colors of red and blue are and we want to make sure that anyone looking at communications from us – even at a glance – immediately knows it is from UIC.
Branding a complex university is no easy task and we have been as strategic, intentional and inclusive as possible. To that end, we asked for and received great input and ideas from individuals and groups throughout the university since this work began last fall.
The brand refresh leans into the circle mark and our red and blue. We were mindful that the logo must work in myriad digital spaces as well as print. We focused on branding that is clean, readable and contemporary. We also call out Chicago as a key differentiator. Importantly, we are simplifying things, making it easier for schools and divisions to stay true to the brand when they create materials.
UIC.edu is the first channel where you will see our work. We have created a more branded design and easy to consume and navigate environment. We have added the capacity for multimedia and can now run video from the main page of the site. The work is iterative and you can expect more changes as we continue to improve the site for our many users.
We are working on templates from letterhead and stationery to e-newsletters and brochures to PowerPoint templates and program ads. We also are working on logo “lockups” for schools and divisions. We will share those along will a full brand and graphic standard guide over the summer and will hold a number of virtual information sharing sessions on the new branding. The goal is simplicity and flexibility so the standards are useful for all colleges and divisions.
Celebrating UIC pride and the university’s uninterrupted work is always a goal – even more so today – in the most challenging of times. I hope you have seen UIC’s :30 and :15 second TV spots running on NBC and Telemundo.
We are also running messages on WBEZ and WVON radio. The messages thank our essential workers, congratulate our stellar graduates and support recruiting and admissions efforts. With more students looking to stay close to home and wanting a “best value” education, we are uniquely positioned to be the choice for students and parents this fall.
The PGA team values your input so feel free to reach out with comments and suggestions. There is much more to come so look for further communications this summer.
Sincerely,
Theresa E. Mintle
Interim Vice Chancellor
Office of Public and Government Affairs
